Vietnam War paratrooper to be speaker on April 15

U.S. Army paratrooper Ray “Ozzie” Clausing of Mequon, who served during the Vietnam War, will be the guest speaker for the Monday, April 15, meeting of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Military Historians in Grafton.

Clausing fought in the Vietnam War in 1968 and 1969 and was wounded in action during a critical series of battles as he served as an airborne qualified soldier with the 173rd Airborne Brigade.

Clausing will discuss the demands of jump school training, the perils of combat, the actions that resulted in his Purple Heart award and his return to action after a four-month hospital recovery in Japan.

He will talk about his unit’s work to assist in the protection of a battery of six 105 Howitzers at a remote artillery fire base, seeing the results of B-52 bombing in another battle and how he sustained his wounds from grenade fragments.

Admission is $20, which includes a buffet dinner and the speaker’s presentation.  A limited number of $8 seats for just the speaker’s program are available.

The doors to the Rose-Harms American Legion Hall at 1540 13th Ave. open at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner set for 6:30 p.m.

Reservations are required and may be made by calling Ken Grigas at 284-1090 or emailing rsvp@mkemh.org.